I was walking around with my friend Jamie Wood, who at the time was managing his father the band member of The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood. Jamie and I went here and there, Mick Jagger was busy looking at the wardrobe diligently inspecting it. Kieth Richards was in his room but and the door was closed and Charlie was chatting with someone.

Jamie and I kept on walking and then Jamie saw his mom Jo Wood, they chatted and Jamie and I found what we were looking for Jamie’s love of his life Jodi Wood, and his son’s. The room they were in was set up as a play room, kids where running around playing. I left Jamie with Jodie and walked into the hallway only to find standing back against the wall observing everything Bruce Willis.

Jamie Wood had noticed that Bruce Willis was backstage and had commented to Jodie, if she thought it would be a good idea to have Bruce Willis hold their baby so they could have a picture taken. Jamie said “It be kinda cool, when he grew up and all to say look there I am in Bruce Willis’s arms”. Jodie looked at Jamie “You can’t be going asking Bruce Willis to hold the baby”, both were scared to approach Bruce Willis. Here is Jamie, who’s grown up all rock and roll and he was just shy to approach Bruce Willis.

Standing with Bruce Willis, I introduced myself to Bruce and we started to chatting. I told Bruce I wanted to make a movie in India with him to which Bruce responded “let’s go”. Bruce being a very easy going guy, I said, “hey Bruce, would you mind holding my friends baby for a picture, his grand-daddy is Ronnie Wood?”, Bruce let me know that was no big deal.

After the picture was taken, Bruce and I started talking again, and Johnny Depp walked in smoking something (not cigarette), “Hey Johnny What up” I said Johnny nodded and kept on going straight over to Keith Richards room. A few moments later Ronnie Wood was running around all excited holding what ever Johnny Depp had previously had in his hand. Welcome to rock and roll, where even a Rolling Stone will get excited by Johnny Depp.

It was time to go for me, it was getting hectic backstage, in the dressing rooms. I said my good-bye to Bruce Willis we shook hand and as if old friends hugged. It was at this moment I found out more about Bruce Willis then anyone could ever tell me. It was that hug. The hug that someone give you that means something. Not a fleeting hug, such as see ya, bye kind of hug. It was the kind that, was a hug, with a pause, in which it was said, cool to meet you man, take care, a hug with a surging sincerity. It was the last time I saw Bruce Willis or Johnny Depp.

So here we are in 2012, the setting will now be Toronto, where I had grown up at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Bruce Willis will open it with a gala for his film, Looper.

Johnny Depp well he too will be here at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Rolling Stones? Well I invited them including Richard Branson, will they come or will Mick, Ronnie or Keith? who know’s. What is kinda cool for me, to see Bruce Willis open this fantastic film festival.

Who know’s maybe Bruce will give me another hug this time to say, hello nice to be in your town. What will I say to Bruce? “Brucee, you got to come up and make a movie here in Toronto. The city really welcome’s you”.

Here is a short clip of the welcome to Bruce Willis, and a message to Johnny Depp at Fresh restaurant on Queen Street West, in Toronto.

If there where two brand in luxury that are meant to be paired then Ritz Carlton and McLaren are meant to be a global force of luxury where living meet the luxury of speed and elegance.

Ritz Carlton for me and McLaren have also allowed me the luxury to participate in magic.

There was the stay at Ritz Carlton Montreal, and my weekend with McLaren when it was launched in Canada by the sterling team of Chris Pfaff’s, Pfaff Auto in partnership with Ron Dennis.

That weekend of mine with Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger (who with A.R. Rahman, and The Pussycat Dolls performed Jai Ho in 2009 the selected video for My Name Is Khan), provided for a victory for Lewis Hamilton, thus becoming the King of Montreal at the Canadian Grand Prix 2012. It was a splendid weekend with Chris Pfaff’s team all of whom are the greatest people you will meet, where service is the key element, and most importantly for me they are all fun.

Keeping in the flow of things the teams that of the Ritz Carlton Toronto, and Pfaff McLaren came together last night to make for a mind blowing ( it was really windy ), for the launch of the McLaren MP4-12C Spyder.

Guess what folks, I gave the word this morning to my guys in Europe “we need to get this baby”. The McLaren MP4 – 12C Spyder is one sweet, fast, and most important for me sexy car.

I cannot wait to drive it from Monte Carlo on my favorite route, Monaco to Milan, Como , Geneva, Berlin, that folks you can do in this car because it is very comfortable. Hey, if Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button can do in spell-bounding speeds then this drive would be nothing.

Top up or top down, the car is a super-charged erotic performer and should have no trouble keeping up but then again who wants to keep up, what’s behind you does not matter. How much of a performer? McLaren promises 0-60 mph acceleration in just 3.1 seconds and a quarter mile elapsed time of 10.8 seconds at a speed of 134 mph.

That performance is courtesy of a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque chassis, which houses a potent twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 engine tuned to deliver 616 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, as well as a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Come of folks that should already get you salivating.

In preparing for the launch the Ritz Carlton did a massive overhaul of the bar now the very warm inviting space knighted the ‘Ritz Bar’ day before the McLaren MP4 – 12C Spyder launch, the Ritz Carlton Toronto team of Nathaniel, Christian, Duncan, and crew where like the McLaren pit crew, in a race to get the bar up and running, while Daniel was working on all the other logistic’s, the team was humming. Resulting in producing tables that are the right height for cocktails, ( I learned about this from Arrigo Cipriani and son Giuseppe Cipriani of Harry’s Bar ) who are very particular about table heights, and the Ritz Toronto got this spot-on. The seating is now cozy, comfortable, and ideal for conversation, with the addition of the improvement’s to the outdoor deck it has created a new dimension previously not available to the Ritz Carlton Toronto.

The evening was how can I say it “scintillating”!.

Two teams, Pfaff Auto McLaren, and Ritz Carlton bravo!

Now bring on Hollywood and the Toronto International Film Festival 2012. The McLaren’s will be waiting as will the team of the Ritz Carlton Toronto, Bruce Willis, Will Smith, Madonna, Megan Ellison, Johnny Depp discover the city like real rock stars Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in a McLaren.

Held in a faux airplane complete with a carpeted aisle and window seats, the runway show featured plenty of short-sleeve, sky blue dresses that recalled vintage airplane uniforms, was this “Pan Am”, “B.O.A.C.” , and it certainly was not the Concorde as the aisles would have to be really narrow. Present where naturally the Karl fan club. Despite last week’s media frenzy over her supposed split from Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis braved the paparazzi cameras at today’s Chanel Couture show. Wearing a slinky silver satin dress under a black jacket, the actress, model and longtime Chanel muse joined Paris’ chicest women for Karl Lagerfeld’s couture presentation.
Despite Karl Lagerfeld’s public image as a peacock who takes himself rather too seriously, he never forgets that fashion should be fun. With a rudderless Dior currently sleepwalking through the seasons and most haute couture salons seemingly content to produce beautiful but rather po-faced homages to couture workmanship, Chanel is the unrivalled hot ticket of the schedule.
This show was first-class. The audience were welcomed aboard at the entrance of the Grand Palais and led through a fake airport terminal of articulated metal corridors into the interior of a jumbo jet, complete with airline seating, low-level lighting and blue skies visible through the small windows. Instead of gilt chairs with calligraphed labels, there were slender airline style seats with electronic numbering, either side of a wide aisle. Champagne was served from a trolley wheeled along a carpet dotted with a discreet double-C logo.
The extravagant attention to detail on the set is not just a gimmick, but serves a commercial purpose of sorts – reminding the audience that the core value of Chanel haute couture is the pursuit of perfection with no heed to the cost. Yes, in Paris the magic of Coco is still present in the land of fashion where magic is real and as Coco herself proved it dreams come true.